Telegraphic relay.



S. G- BRUWN.

TELEGRAPHIU RELAY.

APPLICATION FILED mass), 1912.

1,058,541 Patented Apr. 8, 1913.

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s. G. BROWN.

TBLEGRABHIG RELAY. APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, 1912.

1,058,541 I Patented Apr. 8,1913.

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l 7zven Z or SIDNEY GEORGE BBQFIN, GE LGNDON, ENGLAND.

I TELL?! GRAPHIC RELAY.

Specification of Letters Itatent.

ll atented Apr. 8,1913.

Application filed August {29, 1912. Serial Ito. 717,765.

This invention relates to telegrapl'iic relays foruse especially with submarine cables and provides a simple and readily adjust able type of apparatus which greatly magnifies the impulses received from the cable and is sensitive to minute changes of current.

According to my invention the relay currents are produced by means of a small thermo-electric couple the junctions of which are subjected to variationsoi' temperature under the control of the currents in the cable circuit. In one ar angement the two junctions of the couple are balanced between two sources of heat, preferably small flames, in such a manner that a change of position of the couple (which may be arried on a swinging arm controlled by the cable circuit) or an alteration of the flames causes a large difference of temperature to be set up between the junctions, a current being thus generated which operates a syphon or other recorder in the relay circuit. A single flame or other source of heat may also be used, placed between the junc tions, and either the couple may be controlled by the cable currents or the heat source moved or otherwise varied. I may also use the reverse method of maintaining the junctions normally hot and apjflying a variable means of cooling, such. as small jets of cool air into which one or other of the junctions may mm c under the control of the cable currents.

I In order that my invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect i will now proceed to describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a general diagrammatic view, shown in perspective, of an arrangement of receiving and recording apparatus embodying one form of my invention. Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are diagrams illustrating three modifications of the relay. Fig. 6 shows a device for obtaining a small steady flame from methylated spirit or other light liquid fuel. Fig. 7 shows a method of controlling two flames to produce differential variable heating of the junctions, and Figs. 8 and 9 show modifications for use with cooling ets.

A is the receiving coilmounted between the poles: of the magnet a and placed" in the cable circuit.

B is the thermoelectric couple.

G is the source of heat for the junctions b of the couple. I

D is the recorder, or" any suitable description, placed in the circuit of the thermoelectric couple.

In the arrangement shown diagrammatically in Fig. l, the receiving coil A controls the movements of the thermo-electric couple B through an arm a connected to a fiber E stretched between light springs e, which are adjustable in strength and position. This stretched fiber is attached to a very light frame composed of two fibers 6 connecting smallaluminum plates 0 which are suspended from a fixed part ofthe apparatus by the fine wires 5 at the top and bottom. On one of the plates Z1 is an arm 32* carrying the couple B, the arm being in the fo m of a fine glass tube (ot'siphon glass, 0: ing the wires connecting the couple to recorder l). The fiber it is attaches to middle of one of the frame fibers b andany swinging movement oi: the arm a of the re ceiving coil causes the fiber E to move longitudinally and transmit the motion through the light fiber frame and arm Z) to thecouile l). The couple B may, however, be carried directly by an arm on the coil A.

The source of heat C for the couple consists of two small flames slightly farther apart than the junctions b so that the latter are normally just outside the surfaces the flames and any movement of the couple due to the swinging ofthe arm 72 plung .s one or other of the junctions into the border of its adjacent flame, while the opposite junction moves away from its flame into a somewhat cooler Zone, The heating flames are obtained from the spirit lamp 0 carrying the two wick tubes 0 and accurate. adjustment of the flames may be obtained by springing apart the tubes 0. These are provided with the transverse screw connection 0" having asmall milled. head or other device which is' turned to force the tubes apart, or to -allow them to approach each other, until the distance between the flames C is adjusted to give the best result.

All the moving parts of the relay are made as light as possible by using siphon glass tubes- (preferably about 1} in length) for the arms and fibers for the connections so that the cable currents have only a.very small massto move. The lag of the relay absolute alcohol in order to obtain a. steady flame, or ordinary methylated spirit or other more or less impure light fuel may be used if burned as a vapor. To allow of the.use

of impure spirt without affecting the steadiness of the flame Inlay provide the end of the wick tube 0 with a simple vaporizing device such as is shown in Fig. 6. This consists ofa small chamber a carrying a cop per spiral c the end of which extends up into the flame O. The wick c is shown just projecting from the end of the tube 0 and the copper Wire conducts suiiicient heat down to the tube to vaporize the spirit and fill the chamber 0 Spitting caused by water or other impurity is by this reason avoided and the flame remains steady.

Fig. 2 shows in detail to a larger scale a method of mounting a number of couples B upon the arm 6 or an equivalent arm on the receiving coil A of Fig. 1. Ihe platinum leading wires 6 pass one through the bore of the fine tube constituting the arm and ried directly on the receiving coil A) and the other along the surface. The thermo elements may be of platinum and platinum iridium (20% iridium) wire of about .001" diameter, fused on opposite sides of the tube 6 and united at their ends. Flat flames C may'be employed if preferred, in order toprovide for a substantial number of thermoelectric couples side by, side.

. In Fig. 3 the heating element 0 is in the form of an electrically heated filament, leading Wires passing along the swinging arm 0 (shown in this illustration as carconnectingthe filament with the battery 0 An adjustable resistancec may be placed in the circuit to regulate the temperature of the filament C.- The thermo-pile B, composed of a series of couples, is stationary and the movement of the heated filament be tween the two sides of the thermo-pile pro.- duces the relay currents which affect the recorder D.

In Fig. :4: the arrangement is broadly similar to Fig. 3, but instead of the arm 0" carrying a heating filament it carries a small gauze or perforated hood 0 situated immediately over the end of a gas jet e as shown in detail in Fig. 5. The gas is not the latter alters the position of the flame. The flame is therefore moved. toone side or the other by the im ulses affecting the coil A'andthethcrmo-pi e, which just clears the flame in its normal position, is unequally heated at each impulse. In both F igs. 3 and 4 the swinging arm'c maybe controlled by the stretched fiber and frame device of Fig. 1.

In Fig; 7 the heating element 0 is .composed of two flames as'in the arrangement first. described, but instead of moving the couple the flames are controlled so as to vary their heighh For this purpose a Bunsen burner is used comprising a gas jet 0 over which is the double burner 0 having air holes 0 Immediately over thegas jet is a mica or other very light swinging plate 0 which deflects the flow of gas to one side or the other as it swings. In its normal cen tral position the gas flows equally to the two wings of the burner, but any movementof the plate 0 partly interrupts the flow oi gas to the side to which the plate swings and causes most of the gas to be deflected to the othersjde. One flame is then considerably enlarged and the other shortened, as shown by the-dotted lines, and the theme-electric couple which has its terminals just outside the flames when the latter are of equal size would then have one terminal within the border ofthe large flame and the other at some distance from the smallerflame. If

the swinging plate 0 is placed under the control of the cable circuit by connecting 1t to an arm on the receiving coil or by any a 3 other convenient means une ual heatm of the terminals of the couple would take place at each impulse received from the cable.

I may arrange the relay so that one only f'the junctions of thecouple or one side only of the thermopile is subjected to variations of temperature. In any case the momentary differential heating of the junctions is suflicient'to produce a current 1n the relay circuit greatly in excess of that necessaryto move the operative parts under the control of the cable circuit. In the reverse method, in which the couple is maintained normally at a higher temperature than its surroundings, the couple may as shown in Fig. 8 be carried on an arm having wires leading from a battery I) maintaining the. junctions b of the couple B at a high temperature, two jets G of cool air being placed on opposite sides so that movement of thecouple due to cable impulses plunges one 'or other of the heated junctions 6 into the adjacent air jet. Or I may use a deflecting device similar to that shown in Fig. 7 for varying cooling air jets instead of flames. This is illustrated in Fig. 9, in which the jet tube 0 is supplied with cooled air which passes through the branch tubes 0 at variable ratcs depending on the position of the 1. In a'telegraphic relay, a thermo-electric heating efl'ect of the said elementon the couple at each cable impulse. I

2. In a telegra hic relay, a thermo-electric couple in the re ay. circu1t,'a flame heating element and means, controlled by .the cable circuit, for varying diiferentiallyathe.heating effect of the flame element orpthe said couple. p

3. In a telegraphic relay, a the'rmo-electric couple in the relay circuit, a flame heating element and means, controlled by the cable circuit, for giving intermittent relative movementto the couple and the flame element.

4.111 a telegraphic relay, athermo-ele'ctric couple in the relay circuit, a flameheating element and means, controlled by the cable circuit, for plunging intermittently a junction of the couple into the flame.

5. In a telegraphic relay, a thermo-electric difierentially with a swinging couple in the relay circuit, a flame heating.

element comprising two flames and means, controlled by the cable circuit, for varying couple.

6. In a telegraphic relay, the combination arm under the control of the cable-circuit, of a thermo-electric couple in the. relay circuit and a heating element one of which is carried on the said arm, theoscillations of which arm cause differential electric junctions.

7. In a telegraphic relay, a swinging arm 'unde'r the control of the cable circuit, a-

junctions at opposite sides, and a flame ele-. ment comprising two flames located just outside the two thermo-electric junctions in normal position. p I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature -in presence of two witnesses.

SIDNEY GEORGE BROWN.

. Witnesses:

T. SELBY WARDLE, W. I. SKERTEN.

variations in the heating of the thermo-' the heating effect of the two flames upon the two junctions of the said thermo-electric couplein the relay circuit, mounted upon the said arm with its two. 

